Okay, thanks for everything you guys have said about my story!! I love you guys! And I hope you like it! So here it is, next chapter, and this is where Ara's next talent is discovered, and things take a wrong turn for Aang…
Aang stormed to the general's war-room. He was blazing mad, madder than he ever had been, at the letter he held in his hand. He walked in, shoved the guards aside, and yelled.
"General Po, show yourself. NOW!!"
His voice, filled with anger, echoed through the stillness of the room. The general walked out from behind a partition. He casually sat down and looked on. "Avatar Aang, what can I do for you?"
"What the HELL is this??" he stormed, rapidly holding up the scroll.
"What is it? I send many letters a day."
Aang bended it with the wind quickly towards the general, not caring that the wind slapped the sitting man. Under clenched teeth he snarled, "Read it out loud. NOW!!"
The general began to read:
"Avatar Aang,
Under the most unfortunate circumstances, the Fire Nation is expected to launch a full-scale invasion on the city. We are keeping you here, as you are available to us now and are here now, to help us fight and win this war again, seeing as we, including you, FAILED the last time. We are keeping you here for a minimum of three years, as we need you and you are safer here than anywhere. You will be moved by force to a solitary area where we can keep an eye on you. We need you, and we offer protection. If you leave, you will be turning your back on us and siding with the nation who has killed too many. Who are you for? Good or evil? We will come and get you. You are not to leave, or we will come after you. Thank you.
General Po"
The General looked at Aang. "I don't see the problem here."
"One, it is such a shallow letter, coming from a general. And you are taking me as a prisoner? What have I done wrong? This is abuse to your power!!"
"Nonsense. We are keeping you here to use you as our weapon."
"And when I'm not fighting, I'm to be imprisoned. For a minimum of three years!! I have family and friends! I need them!!"
The general snapped his fingers and Aang was attacked from behind. His arms were tied and pulled away from him. His legs were tied together. He fell to the floor. "This is a rebellion!" he yelled.
"Too bad," the general snapped back. "This is war." He motioned a guard with a club. "Goodnight, Avatar."
"What?"
The guard hit Aang's head with a huge thump and the Avatar fell to the ground.
"Take him away," General Po commanded as they dragged him to a jail cell.
Sokka and Toph walked together, away from the tribe. Construction had already begun, so there was so much noise and so many vibrations that Toph couldn't take it anymore. She just had to get into a quiet place. She ran, and Sokka followed. So they walked, hand in hand, while the snow fell softly, much to Toph's appreciation.
"You know," Sokka said, breaking the silence. "I haven't officially asked you the question."
Toph stopped. "Would you like to ask me now?" As she smiled, he got down on one knee in the snow, took both of her hands, and started.
"Toph, I don't have much to offer, and I will get a ring or necklace, or make one in the traditional way, but I love you. I truly, deeply, and sincerely love you with all of my heart. And I want to be with you always. Toph Beifong, would you be my wife?"
Toph broke into the biggest smile and flung her arms around him. They fell into the snow, and she kissed him. She reached for his face, and he for hers, and they were lost in their love.
Aang looked around. His head pounded, and the gigantic lump was more than enough to tell his story. The cell he was in was heavily barred, made for powerful criminals. But he wasn't a criminal. So why was he here?
All his cell was were bars, a small window, a bed, and a chair. He was given water and food through a pipe. He was surrounded by metal, something Toph had never tried to teach him to bend. And he was alone. He yelled in anger and rage, his tattoos starting to glow as well as his eyes. But he calmed himself out of it.
He heard his cell door unlocking as he turned around. A hooded figure walked in. "Katara?" Aang whispered.
"No," the figure said. He removed his hood. "Tahn!" Aang cried, smiling as he ran to his friend. "Hey buddy," Tahn answered, holding onto the cell bars. "I heard what happened. The whole city did. How could they do this to you?"
"I don't know. But I can't escape, just yet. I need some time to think and form a plan. I need to defeat Ozai once and for all."
"Okay, but while you're thinkin', I brought someone to keep you company."
His chest bulged, and he opened the cloak, and out jumped—
"Momo!" Aang cried as his lemur scurried through the bars and snuggled into his outstretched arms. "Where'd you find him?"
"Well, I was looking for you yesterday and all of the sudden this furball attacked me. He must have recognized me or smelled you on my clothing, and knew that I was a friend. So I carried him around until I found you."
"Thanks."
"Your welcome." The prison door opened. "I have to leave, but I'll bring you stuff every week, okay? And I'll take good care of Appa."
"Thanks Tahn. Oh, and how are you feeling?"
"Great, thanks to you." He smiled and walked out.
As the two prisoners heard the rain start to fall outside, Momo scurried into Aang's robe and nuzzled against his warm body. He cuddled the lemur and fell asleep, wishing and dreaming about home.
When morning came, the sun's light shone down on the two figures. Aang yawned and decided to keep in shape, so he got up and worked out with whatever he could use in his cell.
The door opened and he stopped. "Tahn!" he said as he airbended himself up and walked over.
"Hey, I can stay for an hour, enough time to tell you some plans," Tahn said, sitting cross-legged next to the bars. Aang did the same. "First off, the Fire Nation has started their search for you again. They don't want you alive now. Your new wanted poster says that they want you dead, with some proof. Like your whole body. So I brought you some new clothes." He took out a parcel and pushed it through the bars. "They're for a disguise," he started, "and I suggest that you grow your hair out. Put this headband over your arrow when the rest of your hair grows out. I'll try to come back every day, and tomorrow, give me your Air Nomad clothes. I'll keep them safe until you need them again. But about the plans,"
"There will be no plans until I get out of here."
"But Aang, that could be years!"
"Then we'll wait."
Zuko was playing with Ara when Mai walked up. He had offered to watch the baby while Katara was off with the other waterbenders building the new city.
Mai sat next to him. "You're really good with her," she said as she leaned on him. It was silence for a while, except for Ara cooing.
"I'm sorry I left."
"What?"
"You know what I mean. On the day of the solar eclipse, I left without saying goodbye. I'm sorry I hurt you like that. I just needed to find my destiny. I knew I needed to do what was right. I needed to help Aang. I cared about you Mai. I spent so many nights thinking about you. And I still care for you now. I love you."
She grasped his hand and put it on her cheek. He leaned in closer, and she did too, and their lips touched. They both leaned in closer until they lost themselves in their kiss. "I love you too," Mai whispered, still near to Zuko's face. He smiled as he looked into her eyes, and then looked back to Ara.
He formed a snowball in his hands and moved it over the baby's head. She laughed as she moved her hands around, and suddenly the snowball formed into water and fell through Zuko's fingers onto Ara, surprising her. But surprisingly, she didn't cry. She coughed, but only laughed harder. Immediately Mai picked her up and rocked her. "Zuko," she said under her breath, "Why did you do that?"
"Hey, it wasn't me! I didn't melt it!"
"Well, if it wasn't you, then it had to come from a waterb—"
They both looked at each other and then to the baby. "She can't have two bending abilities! Can she?" Zuko asked.
"Hey, why are you asking me? I'm not the one—"
"Look!" Zuko interrupted.
Ara was moving her hands, and all of the water that soaked her was now levitating above her.
Their eyes widened. Zuko grabbed Ara and they both ran to where Katara was bending walls up.
"Katara!" they both yelled, out of breath as they reached her. She spun around. "What's the matter?"
"Ara…she's a …wa…"
"A what?"
"A waterbender!"
"Guys, she's an airbender. No person can have more than one ability, except the Avatar, and the Avatar is my husband."
"But she melted ice! And levitated water!"
"Prove it!"
Mai formed a snowball and handed it to Ara. The baby moved her hands around the ball, and it turned to liquid water, splashing herself, but she bent if off of her. Katara's eyes widened. "But—but—she's an airbender, like her father, not like me."
"It's true," Zuko said. "But she's both. Both of her parents are two of the most powerful benders in the world; why wouldn't she get both?"
Katara smiled as she held her daughter.
"Katara!" Sokka yelled as he ran up behind them, dragging Toph. "Katara! Hi Zuko, Hi Mai. Sorry to interrupt, but Katara, we found out some really bad news about Aang."
They all looked at Katara, who stared at the ground. In barely a whisper, she croaked out, "Is he dead?"
"No, thank God. But the Fire Nation has issued more wanted posters for him. And this time they don't want him captured. They want him dead. They want to kill off the last airbender. I'll think he'll be okay, but it's not Aang I was worried about."
All eyes turned towards the baby.
Sokka continued. "We need to disguise her if any of the Fire Nation comes back. If she becomes a master airbender, then she needs the tattoos. Aang would want it. But they need to be covered, and no one, except dad, us, and Ty Lee are to know that she's an airbender. She will train and master in private. Katara, you can teach her to master waterbending, but no one is to tell of her other side. No one is to put her in danger. This is for her, and possibly, Aang's sake."
"Her training begins when she can walk," Katara started. "I know her destiny, along with her father's, will decide the future."
Ara's a waterbender too! Well of course, her parents are the two most powerful benders in the world! Gotta go, but please read and review, tell me what you think, please!!
